First Saturday LMC Meeting

May 1, 2004

I got up very early this morning because I needed to be at St. Mary’s by 9 AM to attend the monthly 1^st Saturday Lay Missionaries of Charity meeting. Normally it starts with 8 AM mass but Fr. Messaro was still in Italy so there was no mass.

I was about half way to Emmitsburg and thinking I would attend the noon mass at the Grotto when I suddenly remembered I could attend the 8:30 mass at St. Josephs. I drove straight to St. Joseph’s and glanced at my watch as I walked in the church. The time was 8:33:33.

Daily mass had just started and Fr. O’Malley was the celebrant. It was the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. During Fr. O’Malley’s homily he talked about St. Joseph and how God chose to talk to Joseph through dreams. He gave the examples of Joseph being afraid to take Mary as his wife and the flight to Egypt.

He talked about the courage Joseph had and the graces God gave him to fulfill the mission given to him. He then said “If we believe God is acting in our lives in miraculous ways we need to respond and do God’s Will even if it goes beyond our human reason. Like Joseph did.”

When he said that it made me think that he had read the papers I gave him. I looked up and it looked like he was looking directly at me.

When mass was over I left directly for St. Mary’s to go to the LMC meeting. I was delayed beyond my control by a slow moving, brake riding elderly driver in front of me on Tract Road. This delay caused me to arrive at St. Mary’s and the time on the dash was 9:13. I glanced at my watch as I got out of the truck and it said 9:13:33.

I walked in the church and the rosary was just beginning. I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:13. After the rosary the meeting continued in one of the class rooms. When the meeting was over I left St. Mary’s and rode by our new house. The grass needed mowing. I then rode to St. Joseph’s and arrived at 12:13.

I prayed the Joyful mysteries of the rosary and when I finished I glanced at my watch and the time was 12:33. I then sat in the church and filled out the CCD report cards that would be handed out tomorrow on the last day of CCD. I then left and drove to the Grotto. I walked through the Grotto and when I arrived at the statue of Our Lady of Fatima I prayed the Sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. I then got in my truck to leave and when I started it the time on the dash was 2:33.

While driving home I had a sudden thought that we should go to mass tonight at 6 PM. It was so sudden I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:13. I got home and S.C.C. and C.R.C. both said they also wanted to go at 6 PM. When we pulled out of our driveway the time on the dash was 5:33.

About 2 minutes before mass started C.R.C. was asked to substitute for a no-show alter server. C.R.C. served. When mass was over we waited for C.R.C. to finish and we walked out of the church at 7:13.

R_____ C___